Notwithstanding the considerable passage of time since the Panama-flagged bulk carrier, MV Ocean Winner , sank in the Bay of Bengal and the slim chances of survival of its crew, search and rescue operations for the missing crew members have been further intensified, with China joining the efforts.
“Search and rescue efforts for the missing crew members have been further augmented in coordination with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Beijing. Additional Coast Guard assets and merchant vessels are being deployed and coordinated to intensify the search operation,” the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said in a statement on Tuesday.
During an aerial search, a naval aircraft detected a distress transmission and guided ICGS Varad towards the reported location,” said an ICG spokesperson. “Subsequently, ICGS Varad recovered an emergency beacon from the area, which, on verification, was confirmed to be associated with mv Ocean Winner . “ ICGS Varad located a lifeboat of mv Ocean Winner in the search area. A boarding team inspected the lifeboat. “ ICGS Varad , in coordination with merchant vessels in the area, is undertaking an extensive search for the missing crew members.
However, no survivors were found,” the ICG said. Additional Coast Guard assets are being deployed to further augment the ongoing search and rescue efforts,” the ICG said.
